Never Let Me Go
by Midnight Raptor
Summary: "This is your fight now, Remy. I need you to fight. For me. Because I won't be able to for long." My take on when Thirteen finds out her brother has Huntington's. Takes place before her time on the show. Complete.


A/N: Hey guys! College just got out a few days ago so I'm finally back to writing which I'm completely excited about because I have a bunch of ideas. Anyways, this is just a little scene I came up with after finding out about Thirteen's brother in "The Dig." Ever since he was mentioned I've been really interested in the idea of Thirteen having a brother and I wanted to explore that a bit. So here's my take of when she finds out that her brother has Huntington's. Please read and review! :)

Disclaimer: All I own is the name I gave Thirteen's brother and this scene…unfortunately.

_Never Let Me Go_

She always loved visiting Ben and considering where he lived, who could blame her? His apartment was small, the biggest he and his long-time girlfriend, Sarah, could afford given his at times unpredictable career as a freelance photographer, but it was snug and cozy which they gave ample blessings to during New York's famously frigid winters. Sitting on the top floor of a renovated late 19th century high rise lining 5th Avenue, it offered a breath-taking view of Central Park which never ceased to thrill her every time she came by. And of course, there was the shopping. She knew Ben had never understood her and his girlfriend's passion for their endeavors into the city to lug back bags of clothes and shoes but he endeared himself to their escapades, much to both women's amusement.

Being eight years older, Bentley Roosevelt Hadley (their parents certainly had it in for them when it came to picking middle names) had moved out long before she could yearn after that same freedom but once she did, she made a point to escape to his seemingly perfect Manhattan life as often as she could. And now was one of those times.

They were sitting at the small kitchen table, a half-eaten pizza placed between them. Sweating beers sat by their hands, one of his indulgences as an older brother who found it incredibly difficult to deny his sister, considering the fact that she was still underage (though only by a month). With Sarah off at work and Ben enjoying his day off, it was just the two of them at the apartment, their first time alone with each other since she arrived two days earlier. It was a swelteringly hot summer day and she was busy regaling him with yet another outrageous story from her newly finished sophomore year at Penn.

He laughed when she finished though she noted that there was a slight edge in his voice as he did. He had been acting differently since she came and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

A silence filled the air between them and she took the moment to take a pull from her beer, watching him intently from over the chilled glass bottle. He fiddled with his own, swirling it idly in his hand as he focused on some point on the dark cherry table. He'd always been the more reserved and methodical of the two of them, never speaking until he had completely thought through what he was going to say and she had learned enough over the years to recognize when exactly that was.

"I got tested."

Had she not already swallowed her beer, she was certain she would've sprayed it all over his face. "What?" she managed to choke out, unable to register his words.

"Last week." He still refused to meet her gaze, his gentle voice having reached an all new level of quietness. "I went down to Pres and had it done."

"And?"

She waited for his reply, hardly daring to breathe. Slowly, he raised his gaze to hers and she found herself staring straight into his stormy blue-grey eyes. It was a simple look but the pain and resignation in his stare told her everything she needed to know. Everything she dreaded to know.

"I don't understand." she said haltingly. "We said we would never get tested. We—we promised." And they had. The day of their mother's funeral, she just a girl of 12, he a sophomore at NYU, they had turned to each other after the service, having found solace behind the mausoleum while their father lingered among the attendants, and swore that they would live their lives completely oblivious to the axe that was possibly hanging over their heads, deciding that not knowing was a hell of a lot better than knowing.

He smiled a slow, sad smile. "That was a long time ago. Things change."

"Well, what the hell changed?"

There was a slight pause before he spoke. "It's not just me and you anymore. There's Sarah."

"What does Sarah have to do with any of this?" Hot, raw anger slowly began surging through her.

Ben bit his lip, a gesture he was known to do when he was thinking. "I don't want what happened to Dad to happen to her. I can't do that. She deserves better than that."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Ben." she snapped, rising from the table. "You deserve better just as much as she does. Just because you don't get it doesn't mean you can throw your relationship under a bus for her." She took a breath and stepped back, suddenly exhausted. _Why is he doing this? We'd promised. _But looking back at it now, she knew it was childish.

"I love her." came Ben's quiet response.

"Then love her. You don't have to go and get yourself fucking tested."

"I love her enough to let her go."

There was a silence. She stood opposite him and crossed her arms, her green eyes hardened. "And what about me? You're letting me go too? We were in this together."

The bitterness in her voice cut through the air and she saw Ben wince slightly.

"We still are, Rem. We still are." he said so softly she strained to hear his voice. He sighed, slow, tired, defeated before getting to his feet and making his way to where she stood. "You'll always be my little sister and I will always be here for you. Even when I'm not. But you'll get through this. I know you will."

She watched as he stepped towards her and it suddenly occurred to her just how exhausted he was. His warm blue-grey eyes no longer glinted with his hidden mischievousness and despite the beaming summer sun, he was pale and slightly gaunt and his once strong shoulders sagged heavily on his frame.

"You don't honestly believe that." Her eyes were growing hot with tears but she fought to keep them from spilling.

The corners of his mouth twitched in a small smile and for a second, she saw the old Ben she knew and loved. "Yes, I do. You're all that I have. You're the only one who knows what this is like. And you're smart and strong and stubborn and you don't back down from a fight." He held her gently by the shoulders and she willed herself to meet his steady gaze. "This is your fight now, Remy. I need you to fight. For me. Because I won't be able to for long."

His words sunk like lead into the pit of her stomach and she resisted the urge to bolt from the room. "What if I can't?"

He considered her for a moment and he suddenly looked older than his 28 years. "Then you try like hell."

At last, she couldn't keep her tears at bay any longer and they came rolling down her face unchecked. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting nothing more than to be held by the one person she loved more than life itself. She breathed in his scent that was so distinctly Ben, one that she had taken comfort in countless times as a young child when she simply wanted to forget about their mother's illness. He'd hold her close, rocking her gently back and forth when she'd wake in the middle of the night to their mother's screams, stroking her hair and whispering that it was going to be okay until she fell asleep in his arms, thoroughly exhausted. When she got older and before he left for college, they'd lay side by side on his bed, her head by his feet, and talk about what they'd do once they were old enough to live for themselves, discussions that often ended with her teasingly saying that she'd live with him, ensuring the fact that he'd never be rid of her (despite his protests, they both knew he wouldn't have minded having his little sister around). He'd always been there when she needed him and the thought that one day he wasn't going to be tore her apart.

"I'm scared, Ben."

His grip tightened around her and from the faint catch in his voice when he spoke, she knew he was crying as well.

"Me too."

* * *

><p>AN: Well? Thoughts? I had fun developing Ben (despite the seriousness of the scene) since we don't have much information on him and I might write more stories with him and Thirteen. Also, the Pres that Ben metions is actually New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York, in case that wasn't clear. Anyways, tell me what you think! I love hearing them! :)


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